First Days and Grave Goodbye's
by RonohBloodyhell
Summary: The battle is over and the War is one. Tragedy and heartbreak has befallen the Golden Trio in the year leading up to the war. But what about the first day after the war? Follow our heroes as they come to terms with the end of the dark times and the beginnings of a new age.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K Rowling. Quotes from Order of the Phoenix, and Deathly Hallows. **

**First Days and Grave Goodbyes **

**-Chapter 1-  
Where Home Once Was**

-May 2nd 1998-

Hogwarts: A broken home to a young man who had just had the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders. Love loss, triumph and tragedy, just the average day at the office for the young man who had defeated the darkest evil ever to have walked the Earth. Faces of the fallen flashed across his mind as tears leaked from Harry's eyes. Memories of Colin, Fred, Remus and so many others haunted him as he moved through the castle grounds. They say war is nothing more than what the loser settled for, it is very rarely the side who is actually right that triumphs over wrong.

Harry turned and ran, ran until he reached the Astronomy tower. Slowly he climbed the stairs to the top. He was dreadfully tired, but he knew that he would never sleep. Not until the day was done. Harry's mind flashed back to earlier that day, then events …

_*Flashback*  
"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.  
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch... And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though a high wind and then fell back into place._

_-Break-  
And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face._

_-Break-  
Harry had a clear view of the bodies lying next to Fred: Remus and Tonks, pale and still and peaceful-looking, apparently asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling.  
*End Flashback*_

Harry stared out at the wreckage that had just hours ago had played host to the greatest battle in Wizarding history. "Is a peaceful life really too much to ask for" Harry whispered to himself "Is it wrong to just want to live quietly, out of the public eye"

A loud bang permeated the quiet that had befallen the castle. Harry whipped around wand already in hand, thinking the battle had resumed. It turned out part of the castle had given way, falling the distance to the ground below. Shakily, Harry put his wand away. After a life of toil, it was going to take society a long time to get used to this new age. A new dawn had befallen the Wizarding world. The dark ages had come to pass, but light had prevailed. Vanquishing darkness.

Harry turned to again to stare out at the grounds whilst again whispering to himself. "A new age has been born, and with it the world must take up new responsibilities. Together we must protect what we have fought for, longed for and gone as far as to die for. If we do not do this, then all that we did was for nothing. All those that died would have died in vain. We cannot take that chance, we cannot let that happen"

Harry then turned his attention to Hogwarts "Hogwarts" He whispered "I once thought that you were my home. I was young, an orphan to a war I knew nothing about. I was lost and alone, and then you found me. You took me in and guided me, helping me become who I am today. Today you taught me that it is not the place that makes it feels like home, but the people that make it feel that way. I have found the things I have looked for forever. So Hogwarts, you are no longer home, but the memories still remain and will surely forever linger. So thank you Hogwarts….. It has been totally awesome. To Hogwarts I toast. To where our home once was"

**-May 3****rd**** 1998-**

Slowly Harry moved towards the front of the Great Hall. He had been asked to speak to the community in the light of the victory over Voldemort. He had not wanted to do so, but families were grieving and needed the closure that he could possibly give. They needed him, Harry Potter to tell them that their families and friends hadn't died for nothing.

"Ladies and Gentleman" Harry announced as he turned to face the hall "Today I speak to you at the dawn of new age. A new age full of peace of peace and prosperity, a time where we do not need to live in fear that tomorrow, we may be dead. We. Were. Victorious! Together we vanquished the oncoming storm. Today, we stand and watch together as the sun breaks through the clouds, covering our world in a positive light for the first time in nearly four years" Harry paused to look at the crowd, many of which already had tears in their eyes at his words. Many sported small smiles at the power in which he spoke, encouraging people that they were out with the bad, in with the new.

"I now need to turn my attention to all the innocent that fell in the darkness of war. We have lost over fifty innocent and brave people in the last two days. However, they did not die in vain! They died for freedom, they died for hope. They died with the belief that everything would be better one. They died in the attempt to make the world a better place. They died so that we can live out the rest of our lives, not in fear, but in peace. For that we must thank them! We must remember them, and for a while we must grieve for the fallen. However, we should not remember them for what become of them, we should be thankful for who they were. We need to be thankful of the memories and good times we created. They did not die in vain, and we should remember that"

With that, Harry walked back towards his preferred seat, ignoring the applause as slowly a stray tear leaked from his eye.

Times of hope and times of peace,  
A honest victor shall emerge,  
To fight for a worlds peace.


End file.
